Video Camcorder Buying Guide: Powered by ConsumerGuide and HowStuffWorks

The Basics: Video Camcorders

The 8mm format is a compact video format designed for use in small handheld camcorders. Compact VHS, or VHS-C, occupies the bottom rung of the camcorder ladder in terms of both technology and price. As such, it is targeted to budget shoppers and novice videographers seeking a simple and inexpensive introduction to home video.

8mm, Hi8, and Digital8 Offer Quality

Eight-millimeter cassettes are much smaller than compact VHS tapes (about the size of an audio cassette), and they generally have a longer recording time. They also offer a slight improvement in sound over VHS. However, 8mm tapes won't play in a VCR, so 8mm camcorders must be directly connected to a television for playback. Fortunately, most televisions incorporate quick-connect audio/video inputs on their front panels, making the connection of a camcorder a simple task.

Hi-band 8mm, better known as Hi8, is a higher-resolution enhancement of 8mm, and it offers above-broadcast quality of 400 lines of resolution and a superior sound-to-noise ratio. Hi8 camcorders and compatible tapes are more expensive than VHS or regular 8mm, but they are still cheaper than their digital MiniDV counterparts. Hi8 camcorders produce the best quality audio and video without going digital, especially when connected to a TV via an S-video output, and most are small and lightweight enough to slip into a coat pocket or purse.

Digital8 is a proprietary Sony format that records digitally on analog 8mm and Hi8 tapes. This provides better image and sound quality compared to analog 8mm recordings. Also, most Digital8 cameras are backward-compatible, meaning they can play back analog 8mm and Hi8 recordings).

VHS-C Camcorders: Less Expensive, Lower Quality

VHS-C camcorders use a miniaturized version of standard VHS tape, and an adapter cartridge lets VHS-C cassettes be played directly in a VCR. This offers some advantages if you're looking to make first-generation VHS tapes for others or want to play home movies at other people's houses without having to carry the camcorder with you.

While VHS-C camcorders are easy on the wallet compared to other technologies, there are some disadvantages to the format. The most important consideration is video quality. VHS-C features a maximum 270 lines of horizontal resolution, compared to 400 with Hi8 and 500 or more with digital video formats. The smaller tape size also limits the amount of footage to 30 minutes per tape. The recording time can be tripled in EP mode, but this causes a significant deterioration in picture quality. Compact super-VHS (S-VHS-C) is a higher-resolution refinement to VHS-C, but it is now very hard to find camcorders in this format.

In general, VHS-C camcorders offer many of the common features found in the more expensive camcorder formats, including color LCD viewscreens, optical and digital zoom functions, and a variety of auto-exposure modes. Some even incorporate more advanced features such as low-light modes, memory card slots for taking digital still images, and image stabilization. Despite this, image quality will always be the limiting factor for the VHS-C format, so if you seek anything more than bare-bones video quality, you should look elsewhere.

How to Shop

The 8mm formats are still somewhat popular with budget-conscious home-movie enthusiasts, and prices are at an all-time low. Some Hi8 and Digital8 models offer full manual control, something that was once only available in much more expensive digital models. All camcorders have a point-and-shoot mode, but anyone seeking the ability to manually control exposure, focus, white balance, and shutter speed without breaking the bank could find the solution in an 8mm camcorder.

Only consider VHS-C if you're not too concerned with video and audio quality and don't intend to do much tape editing or special effects additions. The advantages of VHS-C are its compatibility with home VCRs and the low price.

It's important to hold any model you're considering in your hands before you buy, making sure that it is a comfortable fit, the zoom controls are within easy reach, and the on-screen menus are easy to read and understand. Look for high optical zoom figures as opposed to digital zoom, which causes a significant loss in image quality at high zoom levels. An integrated memory card slot for capturing digital photos is a handy feature, but don't expect the stills images to approach the quality you would get from even an average digital camera.

Aperture designation

The maximum opening of the iris--in other words, the greatest amount of light that can be admitted. The designation is given as an f/stop rating, such as f/1.6. The smaller the f/stop number the larger the aperture and the more light that will pass through the lens. In all camcorders, the iris automatically adjusts. Some camcorders offer a manual adjustment as well.

Autofocus

Focuses the lens and keeps it focused even as the distance between the camcorder and the subject changes. Some camcorders also permit manual focusing. Each company uses a proprietary autofocus system; they have varying degrees of speed and accuracy. Although most companies employ some form of computerized through-the-lens (TTL) system, the simpler infrared system sometimes works better. Be sure to try out the autofocus system when evaluating the camcorder.

Automatic (or continuous) white balance

Keeps the color of the video image true to life under varying lighting conditions from outdoor to indoor and fluorescent to incandescent. An inaccurate white balance can result in a picture that is too pink or too blue.

Built-in light

This is a handy and useful feature, especially if you plan to shoot in low-light situations, such as with candles on a cake in a darkened room. No matter what low lux rating any brand claims, you'll need to use a light in low-light or darkened room shooting situations. If you plan to do a lot of low-light taping, this is a feature worth considering.

CCD (charged-coupled device)

A CCD is a charge-coupled device, a light-sensitive chip that acts like film for capturing video. More expensive digital cameras have three CCDs instead of the more common single CCD. Three CCDs allow for recording three images, one each for red, green, and blue. Less expensive camcorders use a filtering system to render a color image from a single CCD. While you can save money on a single-CCD camera, you'll get the best quality from three CCDs.

Character generators

These allow you to add the time and date, titles, and other written information to the images that you are recording.

Fade In/Fade Out

Automatically fades the image from or to a black (or white) screen.

Flying erase head

These are mounted on the spinning video head drum rather than in a stationary position along the tape path. Because it spins with the other heads, a flying erase head allows you to make smooth transitions when you stop and start the tape between scenes, eliminating noise bursts. The flying erase head is particularly desirable if you want better quality in edited tapes.

High-speed shutter

A high-speed shutter alters the method that the camcorder uses to collect light from its CCD imaging device. This results in the equivalent of allowing less light into the camcorder. A camcorder's high-speed shutter permits operation at speeds up to 1/40,000 of a second. Unless you plan to shoot sporting events or the Indy 500, this is probably not an essential feature. Most camcorders on the market today have a shutter range between 1/60 second to 1/4,000 second, which is adequate for most people.

IEEE1394 connection

This is a cable that connects a digital camera or camcorder to a PC or other peripheral for rapid digital data transfer.

Image stabilization

This is a generic term for reducing unwanted camcorder motion, such as shakes and jitters. It has become a standard step-up feature in recent years, especially on VHS-C and 8mm. Some companies use a digital electronic system that fuzzes the picture slightly to reduce the unwanted motion. Others compensate by rapidly moving the lens--this is called optical image stabilization. Effectiveness of image stabilization varies from brand to brand. If you opt for a camcorder with this feature, try it to see how you like it. Full-size VHS does not receive much benefit, if any, from this feature because the camcorder sits on your shoulder anyway (which stabilizes it).

Imager

The solid-state device that collects light and transforms it into an electrical signal.

Lithium ion battery

These are part of a new breed of lighter-weight batteries. Available in either one- or two-hour versions, they do not suffer from the "memory effect" that is found on standard NiCad batteries. To avoid memory effect on NiCad batteries, you must fully drain the battery before recharging it. With lithium ion batteries, you can recharge anytime and still receive a full charge.

Lux

A unit of measurement that gauges the amount of light falling on a photo subject. Many camcorders have a low-light level rating of around 10 lux, which is the amount of light on a subject about 12 feet from a single 60-watt light bulb. Sensitive camcorders can deliver a picture at 1 lux, but you are most likely to get a good image with 80 lux. The best color and depth of field require several hundred lux. For many years, manufacturers have played a lux war game, with each claiming the lowest lux level although there was no real standard in place for measuring lux. There is now a standard in place called EIA-639. New literature will state lux as "measured by the EIA standard." This means brand A's 3 lux will be equivalent to brand B's 3 lux if they both state their lux as measured by the EIA standard.

Minimum illumination

The minimum amount of light, stated in lux, necessary to record a clear picture.

Pixel

One of the tiny points (or dots) that make up a video image. A high pixel count produces a more detailed image, but because the size and type of imaging devices vary, comparing pixel counts between different devices doesn't always determine which can yield the most detailed image.

Program Auto Exposure (or Program AE)

This feature offers different modes of preprogrammed exposures depending on shooting and lighting conditions. These alter the shutter, iris, white balance, and other settings for different preset environments, such as snow, twilight, sepia, sports (high-speed shutter), and standard. Usually found on a dial located on the side of the camcorders, it changes easily depending on lighting or special effects needs.

Resolution

The ability to produce fine detail in a video picture. It is usually measured in horizontal lines. Vertical resolution, less frequently used, is a more stringent measure. A good video monitor produces more than 500 lines. Television broadcasts have about 340 lines, and DSS more than 450. Conventional VHS reproduces 240 lines, and 8mm close to 300.

Superimposer

A digital memory function that can store images or titles. At the push of a button, you can superimpose the stored image over the picture currently being recorded.

Video Camcorder Buying Guide

The Basics: Video Camcorders

How to Shop

Glossary

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